In a right triangle, a and b are the lengths of the legs and c is the length of the hypotenuse. If a = 20 inches and b = 15 inches, what is c? If necessary, round to the nearest tenth.
c = _____ inches
In a right triangle, a and b are the lengths of the legs and c is the length of the hypotenuse. If a = 20 inches and b = 15 inches, what is c? If necessary, round to the nearest tenth. c = _____ inches
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To find the length of the hypotenuse ( c ) in a right triangle, we can use the Pythagorean theorem, which states:
[
c^2 = a^2 + b^2
]
Given ( a = 20 ) inches and ( b = 15 ) inches, we can plug in these values:
[
c^2 = 20^2 + 15^2
]
Calculating the squares:
[
c^2 = 400 + 225
]
[
c^2 = 625
]
Now, take the square root of both sides to solve for ( c ):
[
c = sqrt{625}
]
[
c = 25 text{ inches}
]
So, the length of the hypotenuse ( c ) is 25 inches.
To find the length of the hypotenuse ( c ) in a right triangle, we can use the Pythagorean theorem, which states:
[ c^2 = a^2 + b^2 ]
In this case:
– ( a = 20 ) inches
– ( b = 15 ) inches
Now, plug in the values:
[ c^2 = 20^2 + 15^2 ]
[ c^2 = 400 + 225 ]
[ c^2 = 625 ]
Now, take the square root of both sides to find ( c ):
[ c = sqrt{625} ]
[ c = 25 ] inches
So, the length of the hypotenuse ( c ) is 25 inches.